SITE REHABILITATION PLAN

REHABILITATION PLAN
1991 NATIONAL RAINBOW FAMILY GATHERING

Rochester Ranger District
Green Mountain National Forest

The 1991 National Rainbow Family Gathering took place on the Rochester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National Forest. Over 16,000 visitors were estimated to be on the site at this Gathering on July 4, 1991.

This Plan provides the general guidance, maps and possible tactics to facilitate the cleanup and rehabilitation of the Rob Ford and Texas Meadow areas which were impacted by the Rainbow Family Gathering participants. This Plan is intended to be a guide to assist Forest Service and Rainbow Family members to better understand the objectives and end-results of the cleanup and rehabilitation work. Site-specific cleanup and rehabilitation needs will be addressed as they come up.

The objectives and end-results will apply to National Forest and private lands. A key objective is to complete the rehabilitation work as soon as possible so that the two most popular dispersed recreation sites on the Green Mountain National Forest will again be available to other recreationists.

GENERAL CLEANUP

1. All refuse, litter and other foreign material will be taken to a certified sanitary landfill for disposal. Recyclable items will be taken to a certified recycling center.

2. Fire pits will be filled with the native material that was removed from the pit. Rocks will be scattered to appear natural to the surrounding landscape.

3. Latrines will be covered with the native material originally removed and mounded with excess material to allow for settling.

4. Rock walls disturbed by trails, camps and activities will be restored to its original condition.

5. All kitchens will be totally dismantled and materials removed from the site. Highly compacted sites will be scarified to aerate the soil to hasten revegetation. Seeding and mulching with material acceptable to the Forest Service (i.e., conservation seed mix) will be needed. Specific areas will be identified by a Forest Service representative.

6. All other structures will be dismantled and removed.

7. New trails will be addressed specifically in the next section of this Plan. Most existing trails (prior to the Gathering) will generally not need to be scarified and seeded. There are specific areas where trails have been widened and compacted that will need site-specific rehabilitation (see next section of this Plan).

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8. Parking areas in the meadows will be returned to natural conditions.

9. Compost piles will only include natural decomposable material. Compost pits will be covered with dirt and returned to a natural state.

Upon completion of all rehabilitation work in an area, incremental approval will be made by the Rehabilitation Team Leader, Bruce Flewelling. Upon completion of all rehabilitation work, final approval will be made by the District Ranger of the Rochester Ranger District. All rehabilitation work is to be completed no later than August 12, 1991.

Y. ROBERT IWAMOTO
District Ranger

WARREN J. DUBOIS
I.C.

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RAINBOW SITE REHABILITATION NEEDS

General Needs:

1. Kitchens After cleanup, compacted soils will be scarified and mulched. Kitchens in shady areas do not need to be seeded. Kitchens in sunny areas should be seeded, then lightly mulched. Mulch should be "anchored" by scattering branches or sticks over the mulch to hold it in place. Compost, Grey water, and toilet pits should be mulched and/or seeded in the same way.

2. Stream banks: Work must be done to prevent soil erosion along steep trails going down to streams. This work is needed along the White River, Clark Brook, and Patterson Brook on dozens of short trails. Some of these trails are on steep sideslopes, set back from the stream. Waterbars should be put in as needed, then the trails scarified (were very compacted) and mulched heavily. Mulch should be anchored. Streambanks needing work are shown with a green line on the map.

3. Camping areas, parking areas, roads, foot trails: All areas where people were camping should be walked through to pick up litter and fill in pit toilets. Also remove all signs and flagging.

4. Rehabilitation work on the trail from Looney Saloon to Main circle, and from Main dircle to Bus Village are the most critical in the whole Gathering site. This work must be done well in order to prevent severe soil erosion in the future. For this reason, let a Forest Service person know when you intend to begin work on these trails.

5. Camp areas within 50 feet of the White River and Clark Brook should be obliterated by scarifying compacted areas, mulching, and placing some woody material in the camp areas. The objective is to make these areas look natural and unused.

Specific Needs (see map for locations):

A) Texas Falls Gap Trail from Main Care to first crossing of Forest Road 55 (below Confusion - St. Hwy, 101 Kitchen): Clean out water bars and cross drainages of wood poles and rocks. This work is needed at about 10 places along the trail. The objective is to have the water freely flow across the trail. Also, obliterate the last 100 feet of trail above Forest Road 55. Obliterate by putting mulch on the trail and anchoring the mulch (placing brush or branches in the tail).

B) Texas Falls Gap Trail between the switchback in Forest Road 55. Obliterate the trail as described in A) above for approximately the first 300 feet below the road. The trail branches out to become several trails for a short distance - all need obliterated. A few water bars are needed. Scarify the soil where it is heavily compacted, mulch heavily and anchor the mulch. This especially important next to the small stream. Also remove stone and wood poles which were placed in water bars and drains.

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C) A Camp (includes camp area directly south of Porest Road 55 next to the White Rivcr). Rehabilitation of this area is first priority A large area will need scarified. seeded and mulched. Seed with a mix suitable for shady areas. Do not use the standard conservation seeding nix here - it will not work. Anchor the mulch next to patterson Brook and on the trail up the steep slope vest of A Camp.

D) Recycle area: Scarify. mulch and anchor mulch on the steep sideslope below Recycle, A good job of this will prevent further erosion.

E) Corral: Remove fence and wire. No revegetation work needed.

F) Near Sage hollow: About 100 feet northwest of this kitchen there is a trail that goes from Sage Hollow to Cornacopia kitchen. There is approximately 200 feet of trail here that is on flat ground, but is vary eroded because much water drains down the trail. Water bar and mulch the trail here.

G) Trail from Nerf kitchen to Main circle Area: Trail is very compacted in a few places. Scarify and mulch these places.

H) Main Circle: Aerate the entire area using a spading fork - break up the soil some but do not destroy the grass roots. West of the grass will come back on its own. Scarify, seed and mulch in the most heavily used area near the fire circle.

I) Kiddie Village: Remove the rocks out of the small drain just north of Kiddie Village (they made a pool). Scarify, mulch, and anchor the mulch on a steep trail leading down to the drain.

J) Tea Time: Fill in the two water pits. Trail to the water Pits needs scarification, mulch, and anchor the mulch.

K) Krishna Kitchen (the one near Patterson Brook): The kitchen has already been cleaned up. Mulching is needed. Aerate the compacted soils in the opening just to the south of the kitchen using a spading fork.

L) Trail to Bus Village: obliterate all trails linking up with the main trail to bus village for approximately 100 feet. Do this as they go into the woods. The objective is to hide access to the trail so people will not use it. Do the same on trails leaving from Bus Village.

A final note - anchor all mulch on the steep sideslopes going down to patterson Brook. Put in about 6 log reinforced water bare on the steep slope just east of Patterson Brook.